Jake Rogers’ tiebreaking two-run homer in the ninth inning lifted the Chicago White Sox to a 6-4 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.
The Chicago White Sox defeated the New York Mets 6-4 on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, as Jake Rogers hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off Jefry Yan with two out in the ninth inning to cap a late rally. The win improved the White Sox to 67-61 and kept them atop the AL Central, while the Mets fell to 58-71 and remained fifth in the NL East, extending their road losing streak.
White Sox Rally Late
Chicago trailed entering the final frame but tied the game in the eighth before Rogers delivered the decisive blow in the ninth. The White Sox had lost 2-0 to Atlanta on Thursday, but bounced back immediately behind a resilient bullpen effort. Rogers’ homer was his second of the season, and the walk-off win gave Chicago its second straight home victory.
The White Sox have been dealing with a lengthy injury list, including Drew Thorpe, Ky Bush, and Jordan Leasure on the 60-day IL, and Chris Murphy and Davis Martin on the 15-day IL. Despite those absences, the bullpen held the Mets in check until the offense could break through.
Mets’ Bullpen Struggles in Ninth
New York carried a 4-3 lead into the ninth, but Jefry Yan could not close it out. After allowing a leadoff single, Yan struck out the next batter, but then surrendered the two-run blast to Rogers. The Mets’ relief corps remains thin with Devin Williams and Cionel Perez on the 15-day IL, and the loss highlighted their struggles in high-leverage situations.
The Mets also played without key bats Juan Soto and Mark Vientos, both on the 10-day IL. The offense managed just four runs, and the team continues to struggle on the road, having lost consecutive series away from home.
Turning Point: Rogers’ Ninth-Inning Blast
The game was tied at 4-4 when Rogers stepped to the plate with two outs and a runner on first. Yan had retired the previous batter, but Rogers worked the count and connected for a no-doubt home run to left field, sending the White Sox dugout into a frenzy. The homer was the first walk-off of Rogers’ career and gave Chicago its third straight win over the Mets.
Before that, the Mets had taken a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly, but the White Sox answered in the bottom half with a solo homer from Andrew Benintendi to tie it. The back-and-forth nature of the late innings set the stage for Rogers’ heroics.
What It Means
The White Sox remain 1.5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central and continue to show resilience despite a depleted pitching staff. The Mets, meanwhile, are 13 games under .500 and face an uphill climb to any wild-card contention. The series continues Saturday with a 7:10 PM ET first pitch at Guaranteed Rate Field.
- Jake Rogers hit a game-ending two-run homer in the ninth inning.
- The White Sox improved to 67-61, first in the AL Central.
- The Mets fell to 58-71, fifth in the NL East.
- Luis Robert Jr. returned to Chicago, facing his former team for the first time.
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